When I was spring cleaning at the end of last year, I had a bit of a scare when I checked on a couple of my leather bags. I spotted bits of mould starting to take hold, and it absolutely freaked me out! After I had gotten rid of the mould on the bags the best I could, I realised that it could be due to the high humidity where I live (the tropics) and the room where the bags were stored.
So I looked around for ways to control the humidity and barring buying a dehumidifier and storing bags in a specially built cabinet, one recommended method was to use silica gel.
Most of us will be familiar with silica gel – it is those white little sachets you sometimes see in food packaging or new bags or wallets that clearly say “Do Not Eat”. The purpose of these sachets is as a desiccant where the silica gel within absorbs the humidity in the air and keeps the products fresh for longer. When humidity decreases, the incidence of mould similarly decreases. There are a myriad of uses of silica gel but what I’m primarily telling you about today is about the use of this silica gel to reduce the incidence of mould on your leather bags.
After doing quite a bit of research, I found out that there are some silica gel that will change colour when they have absorbed the moisture from the air, so you can then change the beads when necessary. I also found out that one of the easiest places to find these silica gel beads is at a photo shop!
Many photography enthusiasts use silica gel to protect their cameras and lenses from the humidity, because mould can damage their expensive equipment. This is particularly so if you don’t use them very often, pretty much the same with leather bags. If you own just one and use it everyday, then the odds of it growing mould is quite miniscule to be non existent. However, if you own a few bags and do not rotate them often enough, and keep them in a humid or damp environment, then mould can grow and that can damage your bags.
I got a 500g bottle of silica gel from a random photo shop for about RM18 which I thought very affordable. I’m not sure how much cheaper it could retail for, but I was quite pleased at the price, because these silica gel beads are actually reusable!
What I do is pour about 1-2 capfuls of the silica gel beads into a plastic container, cover it and perforate some holes in the cover so the beads can do their job. I then placed a container on every alternate shelf of my cupboard to protect my leather goods.
What surprised me, was how very quickly the beads changed colour from deep blue to pink. The more pink they get, the more moisture has been absorbed, and I noticed my tubs of silica gel beads starting to turn pink by the evening! Within about 3-4 days, all the beads were bright pink! With that sort of humidity in the air, its no wonder mould was growing!
Sorta looks like fish eggs, don’t they? 😛
I keep a separate container where I store all the used beads, and I change the silica beads about once a week. When the weather is rainy and cool, and humidity in the air is high, I go through the beads more quickly. But when the air is drier or it is very hot, I do notice a slowing down in the absorption of moisture because there is just less moisture in the air.
I also found that being in an air-conditioned room helps lower humidity so I’ve moved my stuff into my bedroom where the air-conditioner is on in the night. A few hours is better than none! I did a blind test where I placed the silica gel beads in 2 rooms – one in my bedroom where the air-conditioner is on a few hours a day, and another in a room with no air-conditioning. I noticed the beads in the other room turning pink more quickly than the ones in my bedroom so that supports the air-conditioning theory somewhat.
After the beads are all pink, you can reuse the silica gel beads by placing them in a hot oven for a few minutes so the beads dry out. I heated up my oven to about 250°C for about 15 minutes, poured the beads onto a baking tray and placed it inside. Within about 10 minutes, all the silica beads were back to being a deep blue and I could continue to use them again 🙂
I read that the beads do have a lifespan, but you can rejuvenate them quite a few times before having to replace them so that initial RM18 investment will go very far 🙂
I also poured some of the beads into filter bags to be placed inside some bags, and among my cosmetics. I used some soup filter bags I had previously purchased from Daiso to make some Japanese soup stock, but never got round to using them.
It works a treat! However, I also found that the beads were all bright pink by the next day! It got too much of a hassle to have to change them everyday so I didn’t bother to replace those pouches. I’m relying on the tubs of silica gel to do their job instead.
Some other uses of silica gel desiccants would be to keep your cosmetics fresher, if you don’t want the humidity to get at them. I however, didn’t think much of that, because I do rotate my cosmetics often. You could also keep them amongst your clothing to discourage moisture and reduce the musty smell that sometimes accompanies clothes you do not wear often. Keeping silica gel amongst jewellery also helps reduce the humidity and thus reduce the incidence of tarnish. It can’t eradicate it totally, but you could at least slow it down.
I’m primarily using it only to keep my leather bags in a reduced moisture environment. I’m not sure how well its helping, but I do check on my bags periodically now and am a bit more diligent about making sure I rotate my bags more often, and keep them clean and dry before storing away in their dustbags. That’s also why I’ve placed myself on a bag ban this year.
No more… temporarily 🙂
Do you use silica gel in your day to day life? What other uses of silica gel as a desiccant can you think of? Do you know where else I can purchase silica gel beads in large quantities at a low price? 😀
Paris B
I purchased my Silica Gel beads from a photo shop for RM18/500g
Isabel says
January 29, 2012 at 9:39 amGem of a tip! I’d never have figured that you could get silica gel at photo shops … and at a good price too. Thirsty hippos drain my purse if I use them lavishly.
Paris B says
January 29, 2012 at 2:07 pmIt was the high cost of using those Thirsty Hippo things that led me to look for an alternative! And little did I know silica gel was sold at photo shops too 😀 Hopefully it works for you too! 😀
Monstro says
January 29, 2012 at 11:51 amI use them for my shoe closet! I should do that for my bag one too-thanks PB!
Paris B says
January 29, 2012 at 2:08 pmIndeed! And keeping it amongst shoes is an excellent idea too. Shoes can fall apart quite quickly if not worn often.
Jasmine says
January 29, 2012 at 12:26 pmYou could get a dry cabinet (the sort professional photographers use to keep their equipment dry and fungus-free).
Paris B says
January 29, 2012 at 2:09 pmThat wouldn’t be a good idea for leather bags because leather needs some moisture too. The dry cabinet keeps the humidity very low and that can cause the leather to dry out and crack. That said, I couldn’t fit my bags into a dry cabinet unless it was room sized LOL! 😀
LeGeeque says
January 29, 2012 at 12:37 pmThat’s such a pain! Placing yourself on a bag ban is sort of wise and kind to your credit card but I’d hate to be put into a situation where you’re FORCED to go on a ban. I hope you find a more permanent solution to this soon because placing yourself on a bag ban is particularly cruel – especially to a bag lover. I should know since I’m on a ban until middle of this year. This means going through spring AND winter without a new bag and resorting to whatever I have. *wails*
Paris B says
January 29, 2012 at 2:10 pmUnfortunately, that’s the peril of living in the tropics. Healthy for my wallet though 😉 I don’t plan to stop looking or buying bags of course – I guess I just will be more particular and discerning. Also, just think – with the amount I save, I could get a really nice one at the end of it all! 😉 Can’t wait to see what you get! 😉
plue says
January 29, 2012 at 1:26 pmgreat tip! time to head out to buy some sillica gel 🙂
Paris B says
January 29, 2012 at 2:11 pmLots of uses for the silica gel and I didn’t even know it was so affordable!
milktea says
January 29, 2012 at 1:40 pmI forsee a run on silica gel sold in photo shops! 🙂
Paris B says
January 29, 2012 at 2:12 pmHaha! Not quite likely – most photographers use it to create their own dry boxes to protect their lenses anyway so if a popular photography site were to promote silica gel, we’d all be in a fix for not having access to them! 😛
Jyoan says
January 29, 2012 at 2:06 pmMy mum puts charcoal or those “Thirsty Hippo” thing all over the house!
I also buy charcoal packs from Daiso.
But yes, silica is good. My father uses it in the box that he stores camera lenses. And I use it in the lab too!
Paris B says
January 29, 2012 at 2:15 pmI used to use Thirsty Hippo or its variables too! But it gets pricey because during the wet months, it can really fill up fast. I was looking at the charcoal packs from Daiso too, but although I know charcoal packs are good at absorbing odours, I’m not sure how good they are for absorbing moisture – any idea? 🙂
Jyoan says
January 29, 2012 at 10:21 pmHmmm, haha, I’ve never done an experiment on that!
But I do believe silica beads are the best since it is being used in labs. Plus it is really quite simple to recycle.
Jamilla says
January 29, 2012 at 2:14 pmI use dehumidifier gel packs in my HOUSE in Muscat – the kitchen and bathrooms!
synical says
January 29, 2012 at 2:37 pmI never would have thought to buy silica gel from the photo shop (logical that it is), but I repurpose the little ones you get from the vitamin and pill bottles, etc for the books.
I also don’t have enough leather bags in my life to worry about – but good to know anyway..
Paris B says
February 1, 2012 at 12:02 pmRepurposing silica gel packets is an excellent idea. I’ve been slowly collecting them too – I like them for putting into bags/pouches/small areas and use the gel beads for larger areas.
Connie De Alwis says
January 29, 2012 at 9:36 pmThis post came at the right time!
We were thinking of how to keep the DSLR without a dry box 🙂
Paris B says
February 1, 2012 at 12:03 pmFrom what I read some people do, they put a tub of silica gel inside a plastic box (like those you can easily buy from any supermarket) and place dslr inside 🙂
Denise says
January 29, 2012 at 9:41 pmI use silica gel too! I used to buy them from Daiso, until I thought to collecte a few packets from crackers and other edible and non-edible stuff (non-oily). I dump them in a little tub in my closet- cheap and useful 🙂
Paris B says
February 1, 2012 at 12:04 pmAh I didn’t realize Daiso had them! I remember checking but didn’t notice any. Collecting the ones from food and vitamin packs is a good idea too but I sometimes wonder at their efficacy because we don’t dry them out
Denise says
February 1, 2012 at 10:58 pmWell, technically they come “free” with food and stuff, so I don’t complain! I use them in closets and such that aren’t so humid but can benefit from silica gel so it’s a win-win for me. 🙂
beetrice says
January 30, 2012 at 1:14 pmfor some reason, finding silica gel at photo shops never occurred to me while I was desperately trying to find some *smacks head* gotta definitely pick some up after this. thanks! 🙂
Paris B says
February 1, 2012 at 12:13 pmMe neither, until I ran an extensive google search. So happy that its relatively affordable and easy to get 😀
trah says
January 31, 2012 at 10:19 amSilica gel is the best way to keep humidity away but I don’t use it. I’m using charcoal as it is much more natural and safer to use. Apparently cat litter makes good dehumidifier too but I don’t think it’s the right thing to use for this purpose.
I’ve made a search regarding silica gel because I didn’t know that it can be recycled and this caught my eyes while going through wikipedia. Not to scare you, but do consider this when you’re doing your next purchase. I’m not sure if the orange to green/orange to colourless silica is available in Malaysia though~
“Some of the beads may be doped with a moisture indicator, such as cobalt(II) chloride, which is toxic and may be carcinogenic. Cobalt (II) chloride is deep blue when dry (anhydrous) and pink when moist (hydrated). Self-indicating (blue to pink) silica gel was reclassified by the European Union as of 01/07/2000 as a toxic material due to the heavy metal cobalt which forms part of the moisture sensitive indicator. Self-indicating (orange) silica gels (orange to green and orange to colourless) are non-toxic and non-flammable.”
Paris B says
February 1, 2012 at 12:33 pmHi Trah I read that warning too but I also read somewhere that it is toxic mostly if ingested, because some people were using these silica gel beads to prolong the life of their food, and keeping it amongst their groceries. Since I keep mine among bags in a covered container and don’t handle them too much I reckon its ok – but it is definitely something to be borne in mind. I did consider charcoal but I”m not sure how practical it is for my purposes – will be looking up into this 🙂
AnT says
February 2, 2012 at 11:48 amHiya Paris dearie!
Xin Nien Kuai Le! 😀 Sorry, belated Happy Chinese New Year! 😛
By the way, I saw this mini dehumidifier which can be recycled. It’s manufactured by Olee Singapore. Found it at this JHomeFix shop at 1 Mont Kiara. It’s RM49.90. Hope it works 😉
xoxo
AnT says
February 2, 2012 at 11:53 amSorry, typo error, should be HomeFix. By the way, I just bought a Pest Repeller from HomeFix too because there is this very agitating lizard been around months ago behind the kitchen cabinet of the house 🙁
Hope it works! Let you know in 2 weeks’ time ya? 😀
Paris B says
February 4, 2012 at 10:15 amIts still the new year! Until Chap Goh Meh anyway 😀 Thanks for the heads up about the dehumidifier! I should go and look in the DIY stores the next time I go by one 😀
SH says
February 2, 2012 at 1:12 pmHi Paris,
You can also consider this – Reusable Electronic Moisture Controller http://shashinki.com/shop/wonderful-electronic-moisture-absorber-auto-silica-electronic-recycled-device-220g-p-2853.html.
Paris B says
February 4, 2012 at 10:16 amOh nice one! 😀 Takes all the fuss out of rehydrating the silica gel beads – thanks!
ts loh says
May 22, 2012 at 12:53 amhi paris b,
may i know where silica gel beads that you buy from?? KL or Melaka?? Which part and near where?? Do you mind to text the address of the shop at here?? or email??
thanks very much.. cos me have found so hard for its..
Thank You
ts loh
Paris B says
May 22, 2012 at 3:12 pmHi, as per my post, I picked it up from a random photo shop in KL. You can try asking in any photo shop if they sell silica gel. Many photographers use it.
ts loh says
May 22, 2012 at 7:23 pmI have try its… but in Melaka dun have… May be i have to go to KL to pick its up.. That time u buy near by KL which area?? So I can minimize my searching area… Reli THX for your help.. Cos my handbag going to come out “Mushroom” already.. Urgent Urgent… I’m great that see your this post, Its reli help me very much!! I may straight buy 1kg for myself… Haha…
Paris B says
May 24, 2012 at 10:42 amTry any photo or camera shop in any major mall – MidValley, KLCC etc
Bell says
March 5, 2013 at 2:13 pmThank you thank you thank you!! This post came extremely useful for me!! I was fretting over the gazillion mouldy patches growing around my house and thanks to you, I now know how to get rid of those that are growing on my bags and shoes (at least). Do you have any tips on how to clear those that are growing on shelves in a storage room? In Singapore we have these little covered rooms called BOMB SHELTERS which everyone uses as a storeroom. I can’t bring out those 100kg shelves to sun nor is it likely that I can bring the sun in…